National Whale & Dolphin Watch

Each year we invite members of the public to take part in our annual citizen science event – National Whale and Dolphin Watch. Watches and surveys will be taking place across the country to create a ‘snapshot’ view of what can be seen in our UK coastal waters. The data collected during this event will enable us to develop an idea of the distribution of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the UK. This event is a great opportunity for everyone to become involved in the research which goes into understanding and protecting these magnificent creatures.

We are yet to announce our dates for National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2023 but here is our promotional video for our event in 2022 to give you a flavour of what it is all about!

National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2022

We had another successful National Whale and Dolphin Watch this year. You can find all our submitted and confirmed sightings here. We are now in the process of writing our yearly report on our findings which will be available to read later in the year. Thank you all so much to everyone who took part this year as citizen scientists – we hope to see you again next year!

We are still waiting to process all our sightings before we draw our Observers Prize Draw. Winners will be contacted via email.

Photography Competition winners

Thank you for all the entries to our Photography Competition this year. We had great fun going through the entries and having a glimpse into this year’s sightings and events. The winners are as follows:

Children’s Competition winner

Thank you for all the entries this year. We’ve had some great drawings and crafts sent through and some entries made in our hub in New Quay. Our winner this year is Nel Williams (8) who took this amazing photo whilst on board a boat trip with Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips in New Quay. Well done Nel!

Find out more about National Whale and Dolphin Watch through our Frequently Asked Questions.

Photos from previous National Whale and Dolphin Watch events: